1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept generally relates to an image communication method and apparatus, and more particularly, to an image communication method and apparatus which controls the output of a captured image according to whether the captured image includes a symbol.
2. Description of the Related Art
The development of communication technology has now led to image communication which allows users to communicate while seeing each other. The image communication is carried out by transmitting an image captured by a camera to a partner terminal. The image captured by the camera is output on a screen of a user terminal and at the same time, is transmitted to the partner terminal over a communication network, thus being output on the partner terminal.
Since persons are generally accustomed to their images in a mirror, they perceive their images more natural when a captured image of a user is right-and-left reversed and thus a mirror image as if the user is reflected in a mirror is output, than when the original captured image is output on a screen of the user terminal. Consequently, the user terminal often outputs the mirror image, which is the right-and-left reverse image of the captured image, onto the screen of the user terminal and at the same time, communicates the mirror image to the partner terminal.
However, if the captured image includes a symbol, such as a character or a number, the symbol included in the mirror image is also the right-and-left reverse image of the original one, thereby making it difficult to be read.